In 2024, the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems re-launched The Common Law (Colum. J.L. & Soc. Probs. Common L.), a general-interest online-only publication that exclusively publishes student work. The Common Law aims to amplify student voices in discussion of current legal issues beyond the law school in a way that is both timely and comprehensive.
The Common Law publishes two issues a year—one in the fall and one in the spring. We will begin accepting submissions for the Fall 2024 issue on July 22, 2024 until August 16, 2024 at 11:59 pm.
Searching for Judges Who Hear: Analyzing the Effects of Colorado’s Abolition of Qualified Immunity on Civil Rights Litigation
By Colin Cowperthwaite “Section 1983 was born out of the failures of state courts. Over a hundred years later, [Colorado’s Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Act (ELEIA)] was born out of the failures of federal courts to protect individuals from civil rights violations committed by local law enforcement. By removing qualified […]
State Constitutions and Systemic Gaps in Music Education Access
By Corey Whitt “The proliferation of music education in schools throughout the United States is an apparent success. However, its application is not evenly spread across the country. Students living in poverty are most often those who are left unable to enjoy its advantages. Further, the disparities increase along racial […]
Access to Justice in “Lawyerless” Housing Courts: A Discussion of Potential Systemic and Judicial Reforms
By Gabe Siegel “Housing courts—and lawyerless courts more broadly—are broken. Only one side has access to lawyers. And given the institutional expertise, strategic knowledge, and unfair use of procedure that housing court lawyers bring, only one side has genuine access to justice. By changing the ways in which judges interact […]
The International Legal ‘Regime’ Against Child Marriage: A Haphazard Patchwork
By Linny Kit Tong Ng “The existing international legal architecture designed to address child marriage is markedly deficient, representing a haphazard patchwork of provisions with varying degrees of relevance strewn throughout numerous international and regional conventions. This framework fails to articulate a cohesive strategy for the eradication of child marriage; […]